The present invention generally relates to point of sale merchandising, and more particularly to merchandising counters which have both a front display and a storage capability.
Heretofore, it is known to provide a merchandising counter which has a front display visible at a distance by potential customers walking in the vicinity of the counter. Typically the merchandising counter will have a glassed-in front display area in which the merchandised product is both stored and displayed. In such counters the display area takes up substantially the entire volume of the counter and is accessed through sliding panel doors at the back of the counter; a salesperson stands behind the counter and retrieves product from the display area for sale over the counter. One particular problem presented by such designs occurs in merchandising environments involving high unit volumes of sales and consequently large storage requirements. An example is merchandising counters used for the sale of video games in high traffic shopping malls. In such merchandising environments, the counter will typically be manned by a single salesperson who periodically will have to leave the counter to replenish inventory causing the counter to be shut down for intervals of time which, although short, are sufficient to have a significant impact on the potential profitability of the counter. Storage is limited in the display unit since high packing densities cannot be achieved in a manner that is consistent with the display purposes of the counter.
Another difficulty with conventional merchandising counters is security While the counters are normally only accessible from the back, merchandisers often experience thefts because the glass panels of the display area can be pried loose relatively easily and the merchandise simply removed through the front of the counter.
The merchandise display unit of the present invention overcomes the above-described drawbacks of conventional counter designs by providing an effective display environment which can be seen at a distance together with a segregated out-of-view high density storage area within the same unit. The invention also provides improved security by eliminating potential front access to the saleable product For instance, in the case of video cassettes, it is contemplated that, in accordance with the invention, empty video cassette boxes will be used in the display area, while the actual saleable product will be stored in a secured storage area. In this event, if the glass front of the display area is penetrated, access will only be had to the empty display boxes and not to the product inventory.